For the second time in three years, Grossmont College has won the Chet DeVore Award for having the most successful men and women’s intercollegiate athletic program in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference.
For the second time in three years, Grossmont College has won the Chet DeVore Award for having the most successful men and women’s intercollegiate athletic program in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference.
Grossmont College’s strong performances in women’s beach and indoor volleyball are credited for the El Cajon campus edging out San Diego Mesa College to claim the prestigious trophy named after the late Chester S. “Chet” DeVore, the founding commissioner of the 10-college conference. Grossmont last won PCAC’s top athletic honor in the 2013-14 academic year.
“We are delighted and so proud of our students’ commitment to athletic and academic achievement, as well as the skill and hard work of our coaching staff,” said Interim Associate Dean of Athletics Donivan Mathis. “This award brings attention to yet another one of the many fine programs offered on our campus.”
Teams in the conference, which include the eight community colleges in San Diego County plus Mt. San Jacinto College in Riverside County and Imperial Valley College in Imperial County, are awarded points for placements in conference and state competitions.
With its perfect 24-0 season, Grossmont College’s beach volleyball team won the statewide California Community College Athletic Association title, along with the PCAC conference title. In 2015 — beach volleyball’s inaugural year in California community college intercollegiate athletics – Grossmont won the conference title and finished second in the state. The women’s indoor volleyball team, which went undefeated in conference play the last two years, has won six straight PCAC titles. Both the women’s indoor volleyball and beach volleyball teams are led by Coach Jamie Ivers.
PCAC championships were also captured by Grossmont College in 2015-16 in baseball, women’s swimming and diving and women’s tennis.
Some 400 student-athletes participate in the college’s 10 women’s and seven men’s teams. About a quarter continue their athletic careers at the four-year level. Recognizing the demands and challenges associated with being a student athlete, Grossmont’s Griffin Academic Assistance Program provides support to help students succeed in their studies and maintain athletic eligibility.
For many students – particularly those with their eyes set on scholarship offers to universities or even careers as pro athletes – athletics is the draw to community college and what motivates them to earn good grades. For others, athletics is what gets them engaged in campus life.
“By balancing the demands of classes, competition, practice, travel schedules, and in many cases, jobs, our student-athletes are preparing themselves for future success, even beyond athletics,” Mathis said.
